One Day At A Time

Today was an up and down day. Brielle took 25mls of a 55mls bottle! Instead of running a GI test, a test to check her reflux and digestion, the nurses took Brielle to have her x-rayed while she was eating to see if she swallows correctly. We found out that she does eat, but some of her food goes into her lungs, this is what they are calling aspiration. For some reason Brielle does not have a strong choke reflex which allows her to eat but also allows food to go into her lungs. The nurses are no longer going to feed her a bottle because they fear she may develop pneumonia.

With all this discovered we will have a GI test done tomorrow to see if Brielle qualifies for a G-tube. A G-tube is also known as gastrostomy tube. It is a tube that will be inserted into her stomach with a "button" on the outside next to her belly button which is where she will be fed from. It is a common procedure that is done in a short amount of time. With the Dr.'s inserting a g-tube it should reduce the amount of reflux Brielle is having and it should keep her from aspirating. I have added a link to the website Dianne found that explains things a lot better than I can, feel free to check it out (http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/surgery/g_tube.html).

To get down to the point, Brielle has trouble swallowing correctly. She can do it just not very effectively. She seems to be tolerating her feeding really well so that is a big praise to Jesus! Also, baby Bri is up to 7 lbs 5 oz...almost back up to her birth weight!!! she's gained 3 ounces over the past 2 days! It seems like we are riding on a crazy roller-coaster, but we are trusting in the Lord and coming to Him for our strength. Thank you all for your love and prayer. Knowing that I have a faithful family praying for my family makes everyday easier. We love you all. Thank you so much for everything you do. We will keep you updated.

P.S.

Brielle says HI!

-cody

Brielle's swallow study (that's a bottle in her mouth)

Hanging out after a big day!

Aunt Dawn saying "see ya later" to Brielle